Indigenous aged care service use and need for assistance: How well is policy matching need?

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of the Australian Government's aged care planning framework for Indigenous Australians, particularly the use of a lower planning age of 50 years. Methods: We analysed published data and administrative datasets relating to population demographics, aged care assessments, admissions and usage, need for assistance and expenditure, comparing the Indigenous 50-69 and 70+ age groups with the non-Indigenous 70+ age group. Results: Indigenous people aged 50-69 years have much lower utilisation, and a different pattern of utilisation, of aged care services than either Indigenous or non-Indigenous people aged 70 and over. Community-based services are much more important for Indigenous than non-Indigenous people, regardless of age. Conclusion: The planning framework conflates the diverse needs of Indigenous people across a wide age range and does not set a meaningful target for service provision. It has not ensured the right balance of services across geographic areas and between different levels of care.